Tag Archives: 3D printer

Do you know what is “reprap” in the field of 3D printing? Short for Replicating Rapid Prototypers, it allows self-replicating, i.e. allowing the making of components which can be assembled into another DIY 3D printer. If you are into printing your own 3D printer and you are keen to join a like-minded community, check out this informal group, SG-RUG which stands for SG RepRap User Group, initiated by Lim Soon Wei for a group of 3D printer owners who meet up once in a while to catch up on new development on each others’ projects.

Last year, Soon Wei and some members of SG-RUG took part at the Singapore Mini Maker Faire and showcased the “Cube 3D printer” he made. His partner Ian showcased “Rostock”. When asked about the project that he was working on, Soon Wei shared enthusiastically about a tri colour print head that he was working on. While Soon Wei is aware of the Maker Faires overseas, he did not realised that we have one in Singapore until a few months before the last Faire. His group hence took the opportunity to sign up for a booth to showcase some of the printers that they are making, hoping to interest more people in the area of “reprap”.

Soon Wei shared the challenges of juggling work commitment and running meet-ups for the group, which I believed most working individuals will face, but despite that, members do make effort to meet up regularly. Since the Singapore Mini Maker Faire last year, his group has also came together to set up an online shop “Justprint3D”! This year, they would like to showcase their new printer, the Ai3 (Aluminum i3) printer. From the last year’s Faire, he felt that there are more people becoming interested in 3D printers but are not sure how to start. SG-RUG would like to show these people how by introducing them a new design print which is easy to build.

If you are interested to be part of this community, do visit the online presence that Soon Wei has created for the community and come by the Singapore Mini Maker Faire 2014 to take a look at these machines yourself!

Quickly and easily explore product ideas in Fusion 360. Start by using simple free-form modelling tools to get just the right shape, or take a shortcut and seamlessly pull your existing data into your Fusion 360 project. Engineer and test it for function. Then prepare it for manufacturing by using the 3D printing utility. Participants are required to bring their own laptop for the workshop (Register)

AMAKER LLP: AMAKER 3D Printer (booth)

AMAKER 3D printer is the 1st dual ARM open source 3D printer. This assembled, easy to use 3D printer uses built-in color touch screen LCD as user interface. AMAKER 3D printer is a powerful tool for designers & hobbyists. Come stop by AMAKER’s booth to watch live demo of AMAKER 3D printer and have a chat with our team.

The Beast, with it’s large format nature, allows Makers to think big, dream big and create big impact onto their projects without the constraints of a small 3D printer or the fuss of joining multiple parts to create one full piece.

Equipped with dual-pinch extruder technology, built with industrial grade materials and armed with exponentially higher micro-stepping capabilities in comparison to other 3D printers, the Beast is primed to create with speed and quality.

As many of you would know, there will be a 3D printing forum this year to facilitate conversations and discussions about a subject which is not totally new, but had definitely caught on a lot of attention in recent years.

The Singapore Mini Maker Faire 2013 would next introduce a two-men team who came together into a 3D printing endeavour and their efforts in the local 3D printing scene – Hanyang Leong and Jerett Koh (Funbie Studios).

About Funbie Studios

It is always interesting to learn how the Maker Faire has inspired individuals. It was revealed to us that Funbie Studios was formed shortly after Hanyang and Jerett checked out the Singapore Mini Maker Faire 2012 and got interested in 3D printing, its flexibility and potential, especially in terms of collaborations.

That actually began their relatively new adventure in 3D printing, working off their 6-month old Makerbot Replicator 2, exploring prints off open source designs and coming up with their own designs.

Funbie Team with their Makerbot Replicator 2

They shared that at the beginning, they will take designs from Thingiverse to test print, while they familiarise themselves with their printer and start to come up with their own designs such as a namecard holder, a CD stem to hold a CD in place on the table, and even a detailed design of a rickshaw. They use a range of designing programmes, from basic ones like SketchUp, Blender, AutoDesk 123D and Sculptris to more comprehensive tools such as Rhino3D and sometimes Processing for code-generated 3D models. Mainly, Funbie Studios focus more on collaborative projects with a design focus.

Check out their designs they shared at Thingiverse here. To Funbie Studios, sharing their designs is a way to contribute back to the online community that has helped them start up. Kudos to the team!

Their views of the local 3D printing scene and way forward

Funbie Studios remarked that 3D printing has become a hot topic lately and is being watched closely by many. They have many aspirations for the way forward.

Besides design work, Funbie Studios is active in gathering the community to come together to work with and learn from one another. This explained why they organise the bi-monthly Singapore 3D Printing Meetup to provide like-minded people with the platform to come together, share what they have been up to, enhance their knowledge in this area, and also to introduce this technology to the less initiated. One recently took place on 11 July and we heard that the response was overwhelming! This was why they were enthusiastic towards the idea of the 3D printing forum that will take place on the second day of this year’s Singapore Mini Maker Faire.

On the educational front, Funbie Studios have also been engaging students not only from the tertiary level, but also from the Secondary and Primary level! So 3D printing is going to schools too!

Multicolour cogvase that will be showcased this weekend!

Funbie Studios has also been reaching out to work with others in the 3D printing field and the maker community to explore collaborative opportunities. Funbie Studios shared that they have been working with Shapeways (a 3D printing marketplace) and will be representing them with a booth at the Singapore Mini Maker Faire as well.

In time to come, they are also looking to create a Makerspace which is equipped with a whole suite of tools to allow the community to gather, learn from one another, make stuff and have fun in the process!

If you are keen to speak with Hanyang and Jerett from Funbie Studios, drop by their booth at the Singapore Mini Maker Faire 2013 at SCAPE Warehouse on 27 & 28 Jul! Hanyang will also be part of the panel for the 3D printing forum on 28 Jul, 10am – 2.30pm. Do pre-register if you are keen to join in!

Are you someone new to the term 3D printing, and still trying to figure out how it works? Are you a veteran user who have years of experience and keen to share your knowledge?

Whichever category you belong to, as long as you are excited by the term 3D printing, you will probably like the concept of a 3D printing forum too, where like-minded people exchange pointers about this interesting and still evolving technology.

Recently, one of our panellists also organised a 3D printing forum and the response was great. For those of you who have missed out that session, do not miss the chance again! Join us on 28 July, 10am at SCAPE Gallery Level 5.

If you cannot recall who he was, he is the person behind Orangeknob and the portable self-replicating 3D printer “Portabee”.

The whole idea of having a portable 3D printer at a fairly reasonable price was so appealing then that I was actually considering to get one of them for myself. And maybe still contemplating. 😛

Advice

When approached to give some words of advice to people new to the making culture, Kiam Peng amazed me with his super fast response. Every single answer was sharp and straight to the point.

Kiam Peng shared that he had signed up again as maker this year because of his passion for making. Interestingly, he described last year’s Mini Maker Faire as “crazy” but in a positive way. It was meeting a lot of like-minded folks that made it “crazy” for him. I guess he must have found himself being approached to find out more about his 3D printer most of the time. He felt that the Singapore Mini Maker Faire does help encourage the maker movement and the interest in 3D printing here in Singapore. In fact, he highlighted that every little steps help. How true indeed!

As repeat makers, Kiam Peng expressed interest to see a greater variety of DIY items. I guess this would always be something that most makers like to see – “to inspire and be inspired”.

Hence, Kiam Peng urged all makers to be more forthcoming, to dare to show the world that you are creative and that you can make a difference.

New plans

Sneak peak!

We were excited when we hear of the giant 3D printer that Orangeknob is going to showcase.

How big would it be? What kind of prototypes can it print? I believe many people at the upcoming Mini Maker Faire will be similarly curious about it.

Ideas and possibilities never fail to bring up the spirit in people. Does the sound of this giant printer perk you up a bit and ignite your interest?

To learn more about Orangeknob’s latest project, check them out at the Singapore Mini Maker Faire 2013, coming to you on 27 & 28 July at SCAPE.

If you are keen to read more about how Orangeknob was formed, read our blog entry last year here.

First of all, if you have not heard of a 3D printer, it is a mechanism which allows you to print 3D stuffs (as the name suggests). What is different about the Portabee DIY 3D printer is that it is light at 2.8kg and can easily collapse in a matter of seconds and fits into a laptop bag, making it transportable anywhere! Get that visual image in your mind?

Portabee

In an interview, Kiam Peng from Orangeknob shares with us more.

How they got started

It all started as a project to make it easier for them make 3D prototypes. Kiam Peng and his partners have been tinkering with electronics and musical-related stuffs such as electronic drum machines and effect pedals but they were at a discovery stage. However, when 3D printing came along, the initial plans were all shelved. They had bought a Thing-o-Matic, an automatic 3D printer by MakerBot. They then realised that Thing-o-Matic is associated with open source products and it inspired them to make a reprap. A reprap is short for Replicating Rapid Prototypers. Their intention was to make something that is more self-replicating, i.e. allowing the making of components which can be assembled into another DIY 3D printer. Voila! The rest is up to your imagination.

We were told that Orangeknob took about 9 months to be able to release their first printer, the Durbie. In that process, they faced challenges of a 9-to-5 job, getting support from people around them etc. The process might be difficult but it must also be rewarding for the Makers to see the fruits of their hard work.

What will they be sharing

During the upcoming Singapore Mini Maker Faire on 4 & 5 August, Orangeknob will be managing a booth, workshops and presentations.

At their booth, they will showcase their printers (Durbie, Portabee, Portabee-x) and some of their printed parts.

If you would like to have your own DIY 3D printer, get one before the Mini Maker Faire and learn how to assemble it during the workshop that they will be conducting there.

They are also excited to share their experiences in coming up with such a gadget during their presentation, despite being “not very comfortable with public speaking”, according to Kiam Peng. They will share on how they went in the open source direction into the world of DIY 3D printing, the challenges they face and their future projects.

Encouraging Makers in Singapore

Kiam Peng shared that they were not aware of a Maker culture in Singapore. They were focusing more on the international markets but slowly meet more people and realised there are people who owned CNC machines and printers at home. They felt that technological advances had already brought down the cost of prototyping, and that the cost of a 3D printer is approaching the cost of a laser/ink printer! I find myself nodding in agreement. The thought is exhilarating!

Kiam Peng felt that the maker culture will spread as more people do it, in view of our close proximity with one another. We certainly hope so too!

Orangeknob is now working towards producing big printers and other niche printers. To learn more about them, check them out at the Singapore Mini Maker Faire 2012, coming to you in 2 days at the Science Centre Singapore.